The Authority, Vol. 4: Transfer of Power Reviews

Quentin Wallace2018-12-27 07:45

3.5 stars.In this volume, the powers that be on Earth decide they are tired of the Authority interfering with their business, so they replace them with a "new" Authority. The problem being, rather then killing the old Authority, they attempt to humiliate them and keep them around. Instead, they brainwash them and put them in humiliating situations. They did think Midnighter was killed, but he survives and it becomes Midnighter vs. the entire new Authority, which is pretty cool.Then at the end, Earth is about to be destroyed (yes, again) and this time the Authority won't help but leaves mankind to handle the problem on their own. (view spoiler)[ Which they do in just a few pages, and we are never told exactly how the problem is solved.(hide spoiler)]The arts not bad, but it just seemed so much better when it was Hitch or Quitely.Overall a good volume, but honestly it seems like the quality of the series is dropping as it moves along.

Martin2019-01-22 10:08

Brave New World - 5 stars & Transfer of Power - 4 starsKind of a strange setup: two 4-part story arcs, with the second story arc wedged between parts 1 & 2 of the first one. Mark Millar writes Brave New World (with art by Frank Quitely & Arthur Adams) and Tom Peyer writes the wedged-in Transfer of Power (with art by Dustin Nguyen).The basic premise is that The Authority have pissed off the wrong people, comprised mainly of the G7's business interests & partners. The G7 send a cybernetically-enhanced and super-powered hillbilly after them, who seems at first to kill most of them - though later it is revealed that they've been subjected to a variety of humiliating ordeals: The Doctor gets used as a scratching stick, Apollo is used as a punching bag, Hawksmoor's been dumbed-down, etc.Millar's first issue of Brave New world introduces us to this new, G7-approved Authority, and then Peyer's arc is all about the impostors and their adventures. Millar's last three issues of "Brave New World" (and on the series) come next and this is where the sh*t really hits the fan: the Midnighter turns the tables on the stand-ins, the original team is "resurrected" and the bad guys get what's coming to them.Tom Peyer's arc kept the same tone as Millar's previous (and subsequent) issues, so the consistency was there in that sense; the impostor Authority were sufficiently fleshed out for the readers to get a good sense about who they were individually and what their respective particular quirks were. That just made it that much more satisfying when they got their due in the second half of Brave New world - though, admittedly, some were more deserving than others: Rush, for example, didn't really do much, so it's hard to feel anything when she gets killed off. This arc is also notable for being the last story of The Authority before DC/Wildstorm toned it down (in a lot of ways) and it suffered a decline in popularity & readership.

Sam Quixote2019-01-14 13:59

The Authority are gotten rid of by a psychotically kitted out monster machine of a hillbilly and replaced with similar heroes albeit without the morals and intention of safeguarding the Earth. This new Authority ends up causing genocide and it's up to the original sole surviving Authority member - Midnighter - to get rid of this new Authority and bring back the old. The book is pretty good with Mark Millar writing the first issue and the last 3 in the book which were the best parts of it. A different writer Tom Peyer takes over for a large part of the book and doesn't do enough to make the story interesting. Frank Quitely's art is as awe-inspiring as ever, especially his depiction of the deranged mecha-hillbilly. It's probably from this book that gave Wildstorm the idea to give Midnighter his own series as his revenge driven part of the book is the best part of it and is probably the only reason to read this. There's also Midnighter and Apollo's wedding at the end. Ahh. A good enough read for the most part, Millar shows why he's a name writer in the comics world and we get to see another blood-drenched Authority story.

Ariel Celeste2019-01-08 15:06

The great god Warren Ellis, bestows upon us this delicious series about a very modern breed of superheroes. A woman who embodies the 'spirit' of the 21st century and can do, well pretty much anything, the angriest, most violent, dirty street fighter you have ever seen, a beautiful godlike man aptly named who derives his power from the sun, and oh yeah these two heroes are a couple (fuck yeah!) and that is just half the bunch. And don't even get me started about the ship or the fact that they move through all space and time with just one word: "door". I'm in love. I have read many of the trades, hard to pick a favorite, but one of the stories in Transfer of Power is The Authority deciding that enough is enough and puts fascists and oppressive governments the world over on notice. "We'll be watching.". Once they start to back that up, the world gets nervous, bringing up lots of questions. It is an interesting foray in to power and well, authority. Just go read it.

Stewart Tame2018-12-22 12:52

Mark Millar seems to be hitting his stride with this volume. The Authority have upset the rich and powerful once too often, so a cyborg hillbilly assassin named Seth is sent to take them out, whereupon they're replaced by a new, more compliant team. There's quite a bit of dark humor in this one, particularly in Seth's defeat (Not a spoiler. Did you really think they weren'tgoing to win against him?) and ultimate fate. The choice of following a chapter labelled, "Part One of Four," with parts one through four of a different storyline (and different writer) before giving us parts two through four of the original story was an odd (and confusing) one. I'd suspect the integration of a miniseries, but apparently it all ran in the comics like this. Strange. Still liking this series quite a bit.

Todd2018-12-28 15:47

It's funny to me that the non-Ellis versions are starred the same as the Ellis collections. Ellis is the better writer, and Millar has flaws but because I'm rating them out of five the scale is too small to show that Ellois wrote better issues. That said. I enjoy this version of the Authority. This was a fun story where the revolutionaries pay for being revolutionary. The old guard shows what they are willing to do to keep their hold on power.The Authority 2.0 are perfectly funny for looking at how people would probably treat super heroes if they were real. As a brand rather than as a person. The second team is basically a dry run of The Ultimates (who of course would never have existed without The Authority). A nice ending to the first volume of this series.

Travis2019-01-17 15:46

Mark Millar writes a perfect blueprint for how to take a successful comic series and completely drive it into the ground.The Authority were created, by Warren Ellis, as his own personal Justice League. After a brilliant twelve issue run, Warren handed it over to Millar who in less than twelve issues managed to destroy the series.Millar is too busy trying to be clever and seeing how much sex and violence he could get away with to actually spend any time giving the characters personalities or doing more than ripping off other characters to create bad guys.This book was labeled mature, but should more appropriately be labeled adolescent.

Doreen2019-01-03 08:48

So close to being a 5, but the first few issues are just a bit too disjointed to merit it. Mark Millar is back in control and really lets loose with a story of retaliation against our heroes. I laughed like a loon at Jenny Quantum's first words. I can't really say anything else without spoiling what's a pretty twisty-turny story, but this was definitely a great addition to the title. I will say that switching artists for the last issue was a bit jarring, but he delivered, so it wasn't a bad thing.

I may have said this before but Mark Millar is a GOD! I have many fond memories of reading prior Authority graphic novels but I had heard they kind of fell off the wagon at some point. I thought this might be it but right from the beginning this book rocked! I couldn't put it down. The only complaint I have is that the punishment that some of the heroes received was so brutal physically and psychologically that it actually made me a bit uncomfortable.What a rush!

Mike2019-01-02 13:01

THIS is the Authority I remember from the first time I read em. Ass-kickery, no apologies, twisted imagination, twisted plotlines, great characterizations, black humour. What's not to love? Hell, Quitely even learned how to draw a face other than Richard Nixon - and seriously, far more than that. The detail in his art is getting damned good - to the point that my girlfriend noticed a sneaker that looked flat amongst the finery of the drawings.

Ma'Belle2018-12-26 15:06

I loved Warren Ellis' Authority and all that it stood for. When I read future volumes by the often juvenile and reductionistic Mark Millar and Ed Brubaker, I feared none of The Authority issues after Ellis' run would do the concept justice. I was wrong.I have never enjoyed The Authority so much as I did in this story arc. (I have definitely never beamed so much at the sight of a wedding photo as I did over the single frame capturing Apollo's wedding to Midnighter.)

Keith Renderman2018-12-22 12:52

This is the one comic that made me say "What the hell am I reading?" I mean it jumps from one thing to the next. It feels too rushed and that's due to the fact that Grant Morrison ghost wrote the first issue and there was a changing of the guard in both the higher ups at Wildstorm and the artists on the book itself which caused a lot of problems in the development of the comic. Mark Millar's run on The Authority sadly ends on a sour note.

Simon2019-01-08 13:58

There were a lot of ideas I liked in this final volume, but they were bundled with a bunch of stuff I really did not like at all.Particularly Swift becoming brainwashed sex kitten. That was just unpleasant. And when she snaps out of it for no given reason with critical information on how to defeat the big bad guy. Made no sense.

Angela2018-12-31 07:49

poop. it tried to match warren ellis' writing style by throwing in lots of slurs and general shittiness. SO MUCH RAPE IN IT, but without the awareness to not come across like it's just endorsing it as a normal part of being alive. made me feel super super gross inside, like i had turned all of my insides to arby's and white castle.

arjuna2019-01-06 15:04

Going to hand you over to Sam Quixote again for this one, as he nails the problems (and the good bits) on the head. Nutshell: inconsistent, alienating in parts, best described as patchy.

Rachel2019-01-20 13:05

Not my favorite of The Authority, mainly because it spends too much time telling us how the replacement team is bad and cranky. We get it, we want the others back, get on with it. Also, not my favorite artist. This is still a staple for Authority fans though.

Robert2019-01-10 08:12

I had skipped this one because I thought it was going to be horrible. Turns out I was right.

Michael2019-01-14 14:48

Yeah, still love the Authority, but this volume is probably just a little too long.

Don Bernal2019-01-11 12:11

new super crew takes over for the authority; new characters mostly annoying; plots come and go without resolution; only interesting notes are how far the old authority has fallen

James2018-12-22 07:55

Not even a few issues drawn by a legend like Art Adams could elevate this book above one-star status. More of Millar's juvenile shock-comics.

Kat2019-01-20 08:46

You know what would have made this comic better?Starting the series with book number 1!!

Jamie Gaughran-Perez2019-01-16 14:51

Pretty hit and miss post-Ellis doing the writing. I guess I stuck with it, though. Not sure I'll proceed to the next run of issues, though.

Ernest2019-01-06 12:43

Not quite what I expected. Story seems to be disjointed but somehow made sense eventually. Still prefer the earlier issues of The Authority.

Richard Gombert2019-01-20 14:44

Another gem. Complete with guest appearences at the execution scene.

David2019-01-07 11:02

I have really enjoyed these but I think for the afternoon of pleasure I get the price is getting too high.

Lawrence2018-12-30 10:45

http://gnomeship.blogspot.com/2013/09...

Jimmy Corvan2019-01-08 11:02

Some of Millar's best writing. Finished this wanting about 50 more volumes.

About the author

Mark Millar Tom Peyer Frank Quitely - Mark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios. His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades. Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.

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